November 02, 2011

S-U-P is F-U-N!

What an amazingly fun-filled day our concierge, Angela (right), and I had! The day started off at 9am with paddle boarding or Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP-ing) at Bluewater SUP Safaris in Hull Bay. We met with Collin and Adrianne who took the time to educate us on the history of this rapidly growing sport and provided us with on-the-water safety tips on keeping our balance, falling off the board, and getting back on the board.

They had a board already set up for demonstration and practice so we got to see and do before getting into the water. After our prep talk, we were fitted with life jackets, our paddles were sized to our height, and we grabbed our boards and headed to the water. Once in the water, I soon realized that everything we were told on land was necessary. We were told to stay in the center of the board, stand up right away, and paddle immediately. Our natural instinct is to make sure you have your balance and then paddle. I can say for sure now that waiting to paddle is not the best idea.

Other members in our group became real close friends with the water because they wanted to balance before paddling. Another good tip we were given was to keep our heads straight, breathe, and just relax while on the water. Looking back to see where the others were made me wobble and I would try to quickly assume the correct position. The others were not as lucky.

I’m usually not comfortable being out in deep water but I was almost a natural and took to the sport rather easily. I even learned a more advanced way to turn the board! I did fall twice though – saved by the board the first time and hitting the water the second. Our instructors stayed close and were there every step of the way reminding us of our posture and falling tips. At the end of our session, it was unanimously decided that we had great fun.